Glad you like it. I made it using Photoshop CS4. I found pictures of the reels first and then looked for days for an exotic car image whose wheels were at the same angles as the reels. I wish it'd been a Ferrari or McLaren, but the Porsche will have to do. The rest was easy.

Just thought I'd post a pic of MY new Porsche. Notice that it has disk-drag brakes on all four corners. They're incredibly powerful and will slow the car down from its top speed of over 160mph in an amazingly short distance. Of course I don't really need them since almost all of my driving is at 35-45 mph, but it's reassuring to know they're there in case I ever find myself going 160 . . .

Just thought I'd post a pic of MY new Porsche. Notice that it has disk-drag brakes on all four corners. They're incredibly powerful and will slow the car down from its top speed of over 160mph in an amazingly short distance. Of course I don't really need them since almost all of my driving is at 35-45 mph, but it's reassuring to know they're there in case I ever find myself going 160 . . .

I'm with you Formerguide on the noise from click pawls. I like fishing smaller rivers alone and enjoy the peace and solitude. The sound of a click pawl reel is too loud and irritating for me. Really like my Orvis Battenkill for the quieter sound, light weight, as well as smooth operation and it didn't break the bank.

I do not need disk drag reels for the trout I catch locally, but I don't want to fish with click pawl reels. I hate them. I don't like the sound they make, I don't like the resistance both directions, I don't like the standard arbors, and I don't like "embracing tradition". I don't like bamboo or fiberglass rods either. Yes, 90% of the trout I catch locally could have been caught on a willow switch with my extra line coiled up in my coat pocket, but where's the fun in that? I like modern graphite rods, and reels with sexy machining and buttery smooth drags. I don't need any of that to catch fish, but that is what I enjoy using. I like to think I'm in the 5-10% that can tell the difference, but it really doesn't matter. You make a good point about snobbery and reverse snobbery. People should fish the gear that makes them happy and not place judgement on those who make different choices.

Other than the obvious downside of high cost for high end gear (like rods and reels) is the fact that I am forever banging around or dropping stuff...inevitably on lakeside rocks and launching ramps. I'd shit my pants dropping a $400 reel on an $800 flyrod. While I certainly don't enjoy scratching my $200 TFO, or $100 Battenkill (or $60 Okuma) reel....it is not a trip ruining event. It's also cheap enough that I can have two decent rods rigged and ready to go in my kayak, one with a floating line and the other rigged subsurface (changing spools and stringing line through guides is awkward on a kayak...it's just much easier to switch rods).

As for drags, since I fish for trout, I seldom get much into the backing (and as was mentioned above) today's spools let you palm drag anyway. If the drag is smooth, durable, easily adjustable, and prevents free-spooling, it's good enough for my purposes.

I do tend to splurge a bit on some of my floating and sinking tip fly lines. It's hard to beat a good line for casting, and (relative to other FF gear) the price spread between a crappy line and a superb one is just not that great.....and today's flyline materials make them very durable.

I'm kind of an equal opportunity gear whore. I do have a penchant for pricier stuff, but inexpensive gear also has a place in my closet. Not to mention that place in my wallet that used to be full more often than it is these days. I tend to hold onto stuff and use it for a long time, so I value my more expensive stuff as something that I'll enjoy for a long time to come. As for cheaper gear, I've found the rods to work every bit as well as the pricey stuff (but I still maintain the Helios is the finest casting rod money can buy ). Reels are a bit different. There's a little more of "you get what you pay for" in reels. But like 'Guide says, most of the time an inexpensive line holder is all you need. If that's not what you want, well, I like that too. I like that I feel perfectly comfortable fishing with anyone with any gear. Matter of fact, I regularly get out-fished by folks using gear more expensive -and cheaper- than whatever I'm using that day.

John Gierach wrote that snobbery, at its best, is an attempt to do something in the finest manner that it can be done. I think a lot of folks here subscribe to this, using their gear to make their own experience the best they can. It can be a fine line between enjoying your pricey toys and talking excessively about your pricey toys. That's something I tend to do, and I can see where it looks like snobbery in the right situation.

Just thought I'd post a pic of MY new Porsche. Notice that it has disk-drag brakes on all four corners. They're incredibly powerful and will slow the car down from its top speed of over 160mph in an amazingly short distance. Of course I don't really need them since almost all of my driving is at 35-45 mph, but it's reassuring to know they're there in case I ever find myself going 160 . . .

Agree with the OP, most of my rods are better casting tools than I am a caster. That said, I do like nice rods and reels but until I bought my Meiser last year to celebrate my retirement, I'd not bought a new rod since my 1st, a Fenwick FF857. I have some nice Scott, Loomis, Winstons and Powells as well as Bauer and Lamson reels and have paid 50% of MSRP or less for all. BTW, I've never broken a fly rod, so the warranty is basically meaningless to me.